Molecular Cell Biology 2

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2024-2025

Topic

Molecular cell biology aims to introduce the molecular mechanisms of molecular biology and cell biology and to emphasise their importance in medicine. It provides the basis for teaching the different areas of molecular medicine, molecular pathology, molecular diagnostics, pharmacology and gene therapy. In the second semester of the course, we will discuss signalling pathways, apoptosis signalling, types of stem cells and their medical importance. In addition to the general characteristics of tumors, we will describe the characteristics of DNA and RNA tumor viruses involved in tumorigenesis, as well as the mechanisms of activation of cellular oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. In addition to the multistep mechanisms of tumor development, we will discuss the latest treatment options. At the end of the semester, we will summarize molecular diagnostic techniques, types of gene therapy and their importance in medical practice.

Lectures

• 1. General information. Cell-cell junctions - Rimayné Ábrahám Hajnalka Gabriella
• 2. Passive and active transport processes - Kemény Ágnes
• 3. Extracellular matrix. Cell-extracellular matrix connections - Kemény Ágnes
• 4. Signal transduction I. Signaling molecules and their receptors - Szeberényi József
• 5. Signal transduction II. Role of G-proteins in signaling - Szeberényi József
• 6. Signal transduction III. Growth factor signaling - Szeberényi József
• 7. Signal transduction IV. Stress signaling - Szeberényi József
• 8. Signal transduction V. Cytokine- and integrin signaling - Szeberényi József
• 9. Signal transduction VI. TGFb-, Wnt-, Heghehog-, Notch signaling - Szeberényi József
• 10. Signal transduction VII. General conclusions, clinical aspects - Szeberényi József
• 11. Types of cell death - Sétáló György ifj.
• 12. Apoptosis pathways, physiological and pathological importance - Bátor Judit
• 13. Types of stem cells and their medical importance - Rimayné Ábrahám Hajnalka Gabriella
• 14. General features of tumor cells and tumors - Sétáló György ifj.
• 15. DNA tumor viruses - Sétáló György ifj.
• 16. RNA tumor viruses - Sétáló György ifj.
• 17. Cellular oncogenes I. - Kemény Ágnes
• 18. Cellular oncogenes II. - Kemény Ágnes
• 19. Cellular oncogenes III. - Kemény Ágnes
• 20. Tumor szuppressor genes I. - Pap Marianna
• 21. Tumor szuppressor genes II. - Pap Marianna
• 22. Role of oncogenes in tumor formation - Pap Marianna
• 23. Multistep carcinogenesis I.: Experimental carcinogenesis - Pap Marianna
• 24. Multistep carcinogenesis II.: Clinical stages of cancers - Pap Marianna
• 25. Therapy of cancers - Pap Marianna
• 26. Molecular diagnosis - Berta Gergely
• 27. Gene therapy I. - Bátor Judit
• 28. Gene therapy II. Exam rules - Rimayné Ábrahám Hajnalka Gabriella

Practices

• 1. Isolation and restriction en+G2:G55donulease cleavage of human DNA
• 2. Isolation and restriction endonulease cleavage of human DNA
• 3. Polymerase chain reaction
• 4. Polymerase chain reaction
• 5. Immunocytochemistry
• 6. Immunocytochemistry
• 7. Signaling: Functional imaging of cells and tissues
• 8. Signaling: Functional imaging of cells and tissues
• 9. Apoptosis
• 10. Apoptosis
• 11. Tumor biology
• 12. Tumor biology

Seminars

• 1. Cytoskeleton
• 2. Cell membrane, cell-cell junctions
• 3. Passive and active transport processes
• 4. Extracellular matrix, cell-extracellular matrix connections
• 5. Types of chemical signaling. Receptors.
• 6. Signal transduction mechanism: The cAMP pathway
• 7. Signal transduction mechanisms: the phospholipase C pathway. Growth factor and cytokine signaling
• 8. Apoptosis. Stem cells
• 9.

  General features of tumors

• 10. DNA and RNA tumor viruses
• 11. Cellular oncogenes
• 12. Tumor suppressor genes. Oncogenes and the cell cycle
• 13. Multistep mechanism of carcinogenesis
• 14. Therapy of tumors. Molecular medicine
• 15. Semester test
• 16. Semester test

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Cooper, G.M.: The Cell. A Molecular Approach.

Literature developed by the Department

Materials uploaded to Potepedia
Test bank question
Minimum requirement test questions

Notes

M. Pap (editor): Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory Manual

Szeberényi, J., Komáromy, L.: Molecular Cell Biology Syllabus

Recommended literature

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

None

Mid-term exams

Mid-term tests in weeks 4, 7 and 10, from lecture and seminar topics. Test topics will be announced in lectures and in the Molecular Cell Biology 2 Lecture Teams group. The final test is in week 14, from the whole semester topics (lectures, seminars and lab materials are included). No improvement is possible on any of the written tests.

Making up for missed classes

It is possible to make up the lab if a medical certificate is submitted, either in another group or in a make-up lab organized by the Medical Biology Department.

Midterm tests can be made up by oral exam if a medical certificate is submitted.

There is no possibility to make up the final semester test.

Exam topics/questions

Theoretical exam questions
1.      Comparison of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

2.      Nucleosides, nucleotides

3.      Structure and properties of DNA

4.      Experiments demonstrating the role of DNA as genetic material

5.      Structure and types of RNA

6.      Structure and properties of proteins

7.      Types of carbohydrates and their biological significance

8.      Types of lipids and their biological significance

9.      Characteristics of restriction endonucleases and their applications

10.  Steps of DNA fragment cloning

11.  Genomic library construction and screening

12.  Steps and types of the polymerase chain reaction and their applications

13.  Steps and types of Sanger DNA sequencing

14.  Steps of Illumina DNA sequencing

15.  Steps of proton sequencing and nanopore sequencing

16.  Types of DNA chips and their applications

17.  Types of fluorescence in situ hybridization and their applications

18.  Biological significance of the Human Genome Project

19.  Steps of cDNA cloning

20.  cDNA library construction and screening

21.  Generation of transgenic organisms and their practical significance

22.  Inhibition of endogenous gene expression at the DNA level

23.  Inhibition of endogenous gene expression at the mRNA level

24.  Inhibition of endogenous gene expression at the protein level

25.  Methods of specific antigens’ microscopic detection

26.  Steps of immunoprecipitation and Western blotting

27.  Structure of the nucleus

28.  Types of repetitive and unique sequences and their medical significance

29.  Levels of chromatin organization

30.  Chemical composition of chromatin

31.  Phases of the cell cycle

32.  Regulation of the cell cycle

33.  Mitosis

34.  Meiosis

35.  General features of replication

36.  Mechanism of prokaryotic replication

37.  Specific features of eukaryotic replication

38.  DNA repair - Types of excision repair and their medical significance

39.  DNA repair - Proofreading, Mismatch repair and their medical significance

40.  DNA repair - Types of DNA double-strand breaks’ repair and their medical significance

41.  Mechanism of prokaryotic transcription and RNA processing

42.  General features of eukaryotic transcription

43.  Eukaryotic pre-rRNA synthesis and processing

44.  Eukaryotic pre-mRNA synthesis and processing. Cap formation and polyadenylation

45.  Pre-mRNA splicing, RNA editing and their medical significance

46.  Steps of aminoacyl-tRNA synthesis

47.  Structure and function of ribosomes

48.  Main features of the genetic code

49.  Initiation of translation

50.  Elongation and termination of translation

51.  General features of translation, and the medical significance of its inhibition

52.  The lactose operon

53.  The tryptophan operon

54.  Cloning by cell nuclear transplantation and its medical significance

55.  Regulation of pre-mRNA synthesis and processing in eukaryotes

56.  Regulation of mRNA transport, translation, and degradation in eukaryotes

57.  Regulation of protein activity and degradation in eukaryotes

58.  Types of eukaryotic transcription factors

59.  Mechanism of action of steroid hormones and its medical significance

60.  Function of the rough endoplasmic reticulum

61.  Function of the Golgi apparatus. Types of protein glycosylation and their medical significance

62.  Mechanism and types of secretion

63.  Types of endocytosis and their medical significance

64.  Mechanism of vesicular transport

65.  Types of lysosomes and their medical significance

66.  Function of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum

67.  Generation of oxygen free radicals and their biological effects

68.  Structure and function of mitochondria

69.  Genetic apparatus of mitochondria

70.  Types of mitochondrial diseases

71.  Structure of microfilaments, importance of their binding proteins

72.  Structure of intermediate filaments and their medical significance

73.  Structure of microtubules, importance of their binding proteins

74.  Structure of the cell membrane

75.  Types of cell-cell junctions

76.  Types of passive transport processes and their medical significance

77.  Types of active transport processes and their medical significance

78.  Composition and structure of the extracellular matrix

79.  Types of cell-extracellular matrix connections

80.  Types of chemical signaling

81.  cAMP-mediated signal transduction and its medical significance

82.  Inositol phospholipid signaling

83.  Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase signaling and its medical significance

84.  Growth factor signaling and its medical significance

85.  Cytokine signaling and its medical significance

86.  Stress signaling and its medical significance

87.  Integrin signaling and its medical significance

88.  TGF-ß-, Wnt-, Notch-, Hedgehog-signaling and their medical significance

89.  The role of protein kinases in cell regulation

90.  General features of signaling pathways (Signal amplification. Signal termination. Signaling networks)

91.  Types of stem cells and their medical significance

92.  The physiological and pathological role of apoptosis

93.  The mechanism of apoptosis

94.  General features of tumor cells and tumors

95.  Infection cycle and types of oncogenic DNA viruses and their medical significance

96.  Infection cycle and types of retroviruses and their medical significance

97.  The mechanism of retroviral oncogenes’ formation

98.  Identification of cellular oncogenes by gene transfer

99.  The mechanism of insertional mutagenesis

100.          Mechanisms of cellular oncogene activation

101.          General features of tumor suppressor genes

102.          Rb and p53 proteins

103.          The role of tumor suppressor genes in Wilms-tumor, neurofibromatosis, colon, and breast cancer

104.          The role of oncogenes in cell cycle regulation

105.          Phases of experimental carcinogenesis

106.          Clinical stages of tumor development

107.          Steps of metastasis formation

108.          Mechanism of multistep carcinogenesis (e.g., that of colon carcinoma)

109.          Types of tumor therapy

110.          Cytogenetics, structural genomics, and the structural examination of individual gene copies

111.          Functional genomics and the functional examination of individual gene copies

112.          Types of oligonucleotide gene therapy and their medical applications

113.          Types of real gene therapy, the types of vectors used and their medical applications

Lab exam questions
Theoretical questions

Theoretical questions

1. Structure and operation of the light microscope

2. Sample preparation for light microscopy

3. Radioactive isotopes in molecular cell biology

4. Homogenisation, cell fractionation

5. Hypopyknic and isopyknic gradient centrifugation

6. Gel filtration

7. Ion exchange and affinity chromatography

8. Plasmids, plasmid isolation

9. Protein electrophoresis

10. Nucleic acid electrophoresis

11. Isolation of mammalian DNA

12. Isolation of mammalian RNA

13. Structure and operation of the polarisation microscope

14. Structure and operation of the phase-contrast microscope

15. Histochemistry of nucleic acids

16. Histochemistry of the cytoplasm

17. Immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry

18. Plasmolysis and haemolysis

19. Analysis of apoptotic processes

20. Structure and operation of the electron microscope

21. Sample preparation and contrasting methods for electron microscopy

22. Structure and operation of the confocal microscope

 

Practical questions

23. Observation of prokaryotic cells by immersion objective, Gram staining

24. Determination of cell diameter by light microscope

25. Analysis of human peripheral blood smear, May-Grünwald-Giemsa staining

26. Analysis of light microscopic autoradiographic preparation

27. Analysis of bromodeoxyuridine labeling

28. Preparation of linear density gradient

29. Analysis of the result of gel filtration

30. Analysis of plasmid DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis

31. Steps of protein elelctrophoresis, detection of proteins in the gel and on the membrane

32. Steps of Western blot, analysis of the result

33. Operation of the photometer - determination of DNA and RNA concentration

34. Analysis of the result of restriction mapping

35. Structure and operation of the polarisation microscope

36. Structure and operation of the phase-contrast microscope

37. Analysis of nucleic acid histochemistry preparations

38. Analysis of cytoplasm histochemistry preparations

39. Analysis of immunocytochemical and immunohistochemical preparations

40. Identification of normal and Burkitt’s lymphoma lymph node

41. Identification of normal and cancer cells on Papanicolau smears

42. Identification of normal and apoptotic cells

43. Identification of nuclear components on microscopic pictures

44. Identification of cytoplasmic organelles on microscopic pictures

Examiners

• Atlaszné Váczy Alexandra
• Balassa Tímea
• Balogh Bálint
• Bátor Judit
• Berta Gergely
• Bogdán Ágnes
• Csabai-Tanics Tímea Judith
• Kemény Ágnes
• Németh Marica
• Pap Marianna
• Sétáló György ifj.
• Tarjányi Oktávia
• Varga Judit

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars

• Atlaszné Váczy Alexandra
• Balassa Tímea
• Balogh Bálint
• Bátor Judit
• Berta Gergely
• Bogdán Ágnes
• Bugyi Beáta
• Csabai-Tanics Tímea Judith
• Feketéné Kiss Katalin
• Kemény Ágnes
• KURZUSHOZ RENDELT OKTATÓ
• Németh Marica
• Pap Marianna
• Sétáló György ifj.
• Tarjányi Oktávia
• Varga Judit